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SYDNEY, Australia — Australia, a staunch U.S. ally and one of the first countries to commit troops to the Iraq war five years ago, ended combat operations there Sunday, a Defense Department official said.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was swept into office in November largely on the promise that he would bring home the country's 550 combat troops by the middle of 2008.

Rudd has said the Iraq deployment has made Australia more of a target for terrorism.

The combat troops are expected to return home over the next few weeks. Local media reports said the first of the soldiers had already landed in Australia on Sunday afternoon.

Additionally...how dare you denigrate the actions of others and how dare you insult a nation that has stood by you through thick and thin.May I remind you that the support of the US and this war is what cost Joihn Howard the election, is what has divided this nation and that the action to remove troops is not broadly supported.

Our SAS dropped behind enemy lines pre OIF, we have served time and again and helped the US in times when needed..we will continue to do so in other theatres, our commitment to Iraq and the WOT is as it has always been.

I might also add that the fact they can leave safely is proof they have done their job well and done what they came there to do....mission complete.

Additionally...how dare you denigrate the actions of others and how dare you insult a nation that has stood by you through thick and thin.May I remind you that the support of the US and this war is what cost Joihn Howard the election, is what has divided this nation and that the action to remove troops is not broadly supported.

Our SAS dropped behind enemy lines pre OIF, we have served time and again and helped the US in times when needed..we will continue to do so in other theatres, our commitment to Iraq and the WOT is as it has always been.

I might also add that the fact they can leave safely is proof they have done their job well and done what they came there to do....mission complete.

The words you are looking for are THANK and YOU.

These are the words you're getting from the majority of Americans. Please disregard the chickenshit stuffr. Don't know what gets into Gator sometimes.

At Coretta Scott King's funeral in early 2006, Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert Kennedy, leaned over to him and whispered, "The torch is being passed to you." "A chill went up my spine," Obama told an aide. (Newsweek)

AUSTRALIA is preparing to send hundreds more troops to Afghanistan's southern Oruzgan province, where deadly contacts with Taliban fighters have escalated in recent months.

By the middle of next year, Australia - whether under a Labor or Coalition government - will have more troops on the ground in Afghanistan than it does in Iraq.

A commitment for a slight increase in the number of Australian troops based at Tarin Kowt as part of a reconstruction force is expected before the election because of a withdrawal of troops from The Netherlands.

In addition to an increase in troops to replace the Dutch soldiers, a mortar team has just been dispatched, 110 crew and support staff for two Chinook helicopters are preparing to go and there are plans for increased RAAF surveillance over southern Afghanistan.

Australia has about 970 military in Afghanistan, including infantry and special forces as well as an RAAF air traffic control group based at Kandahar. The final figure next year will depend on how many troops the Dutch withdraw, and to what extent Australians fill the gap.